


A Tale as old as Thyme

by solar_night



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017), Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Beauty and the Beast Fusion, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dream Smp, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Instead of romance it’s bromance, No Romance, No Smut, Techno gets revived dont worry, Techno’s the beast, Temporary Character Death, Toby Smith | Tubbo and TommyInnit are Siblings, Tommy’s belle, lowercase intended
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:48:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28736751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solar_night/pseuds/solar_night
Summary: Tommy, brother of inventor and scholar Tubbo, the oddball out of Lilycove, and a big fan of flowers. He's a free spirit. He doesn't take orders from just anyone.Technoblade, a cold-hearted man, the forgotten ruler of the lost kingdom of Evergarden, and somehow a boar beast. He demands obedience and order. He /hates/ not being in control.They say opposites attract, right? Well, what happens when /these/ two opposites meet? Will chaos ensue? Will a spell long since cast finally be broken? Will a beast finally learn to love? Only time will tell.~
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Eret & Niki | Nihachu, Technoblade & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Toby Smith | Tubbo & Technoblade & TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Comments: 7
Kudos: 104





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first time posting literally anything on AO3 so uh- cut me some slack 🤠 this is also cross-posted on wattpad under the same title.

winds howled louder than the wolves outside. ragged branches slammed against palace walls. violent gusts of the icy blizzard overhead littered the once lush earth with frigid ice and snow. 

and yet everyone inside the palace was comfortably warm, tucked away from the bitter cold within it's thick, stone walls. the residents bustled about, the maids cleaning up, the cooks organizing preparations for the next day's breakfast, the majordomo checking in on the supply count, and the king sat calmly on one of the arm chairs by the fire as he read.

all was relaxing, for a while at least. but that peace was soon broken by the sudden slam of a door, the once faint whistles of the wind now as clear as day. the king sprung to his feet, taking his blade and walking to the source of the disruption.

there, before him, sat a frail old man, trembling from near deathly frostbite and sickness. the king made a small face of disgust.

"who are you, and what business do you have coming to my palace," the rosette demanded.

a moment passed before he received an answer. "i am but a poor traveler, your majesty.. i have been out in the storm for far too long.... i fear much longer will cost me my life. i ask but one night of shelter," the beggar rasped, voice coarse with strain and disuse.

the king narrowed his eyes skeptically, huffing, "and what would a beggar such as yourself be able to give me that i don't already have?"

the man before the king paused, reaching into his coat and pulling a single rose. the velvety, crimson petals were a starch contrast to the rest of the pristine palace. "i offer a single rose in return for my stay, your highness."

the king scoffed at this. "a rose? you realize i could grow a hundred of the damned things in my gardens if i so pleased," he spat. "i will not waste my resources on a beggar. leave now, before i have my guards escort you out."

the beggar sighed, shaking his head slowly. "my king. my poor, cold hearted king. that was a mistake." he stood, his appearance melting from that of a beggar to a sorcerer. and a respected one at that. he glared down at the king. "do you have anything to say before i give you your punishment, your highness?"

the king dropped to his knees, completely shell shocked. "forgive me. please! i didn't mean a word i said! you can stay for as long as you would like!" he begged. if there was one thing he feared, it was the wrath of someone more powerful than himself. and the sorcerer? well, it was to be expected that he was more powerful than the king.

"a simple apology does not restore the lack of compassion and kindness in one's heart, your majesty. you've shown just how heartless you are. there is no forgiveness when it comes to something like that." the sorcerer held up the rose, stroking it's petals gingerly. "although.. there may be a solution..."

and in that moment, nothing but pure fear ran through the ruler's veins. his heart seemed to stop, and his breath hitched. he could do nothing except watch as the people around him, one by one, were turned into regular household objects. one by one, the few people the king had grown to call "family" became objects he wouldn't be able to differentiate from the inanimate versions of themselves unless he were to speak to them. and when that was done, it was his turn. only he wasn't turned into a candelabra, or mantle clock. he was turned into something more horrid and utterly disgusting. a beast. a boar beast to be very exact. 

the sorcerer did not stop there. to make things all the more difficult for the king, he (although not literally) froze time around the castle to keep it in the wintery season and erased it from history itself. maps, books, villages, cities, everything that had once had memory of this castle would no longer have any sign of it's ever being there. and with those memories of the palace went the memories of it's inhabitants.

to finish his "masterpiece", the sorcerer cast a single spell on the rose he'd been holding. "only if you can learn to love, and earn the love of another before the last petal of this rose falls will the spell be broken." and with that, the sorcerer vanished into thin air.

the king broke down as soon as his only way out of this mess vanished. as the cause of this problem vanished. he let out a strangled cry and took the rose, fleeing to his wing. that night, and the handful of nights that followed, the king stayed silent, sitting by the rose in hopes that this would all have been but a dream.

and every morning... he woke up to the same beastly body.


	2. Chapter 1

the sun had just rose down in lilycove, all those years later. only on this fateful day, the life of a single young boy should change forever.

the birds sung their lovely morning songs as the bright sun rose over the horizon. little animals peeled out of their burrows. the gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead. all was still except for one path where a boy walked. tommy, the younger brother of inventor and scholar tubbo, had decided to wake early and get some chores done. perhaps visit the small village library if he had time to spare.

the blond walked down the path, carrying a small basket in one hand and his current favorite book in the other. he read as he walked, only looking up at the sound of the clock's chime.

as if on cue, a chorus of 'good morning!'s and 'hello's among other greetings rang through tommy's ears. the teenager hummed and walked towards the bakery. 

he waved to the baker with a bright smile, walking up to him. "good morning," he greeted, digging into his pocket for three coins. he traded the coins for a loaf of bread.

"what's that you've got there, tommy?" the baker asked, glancing down at the hardcover book in the boy's hand.

"oh! this is the book i got from sam yesterday! it's about the reunion of two lovers who were taken away from each other," he explained. this was new to him. no one had ever asked about the books he read, not even his brother.

the baker huffed softly, half frowning. "sounds boring."

tommy rolled his eyes with a small chuckle. just as he had expected. he thanked the baker for the bread and walked away, this time heading to the butcher. he exchanged his coins for two pounds of some random ground up meat before continuing the routine at the rest of the merchant stalls and shops. coins for products, no conversation besides short greetings and orders.

it bothered tommy, the silence. he was a rather social person, so the routinely silence nearly rattled him to his core. and still, despite the discomfort he felt from the lack of communication, he continued on to the small, local library.

upon arrival, he knocked and peeked his head in. "sam? you here?" he called.

"back here, toms!"

tommy grinned and hopped in, breathing in the familiar and soothing scent of worn pages and ink. "mornin, sam! have anything new for me to read?"

said librarian let out a hearty laugh, "not since yesterday. feel free to take one of the other books though."

tommy nodded with a small chuckle and placed the book he'd brought down. he looked through the single shelf of books sam owned and spotted a familiar title. pulling it out, he showed it to sam. "i think i'll take this one!"

sam sent a knowing look the teenager's way, marking it down in his own record book. "alright then. you know the drill. bring it back by the month's end or it'll cost you and your brother. now off you go. i suspect tubbo needs your help back at your cottage."

tommy blinked. "oh- oh yeah! thanks for reminding me, sam! bye!!" he shouted, hopping out of the library. he immediately got to reading as he walked, swerving through the crowd carefully. 

the villagers watched him carefully. some eyed him with envy. others with disgust. and others with curiosity. but no matter what kind of look they all sent him, they all shared the same thought. why was that boy so odd? 

see, tommy wasn't like most of the boys in his village. no, no, definitely not. he was much brighter, more advanced. he was obsessed with adventure and evolution, unlike the other boys who wanted nothing but to find a lovely wife to settle down with. tommy didn't want that. the mere idea disgusted him. he wanted to adventure far out into the world. he wanted to see what the world had to offer. he wanted to see it all for himself, without someone by his side to drag him down.

well, that, or he wanted to escape to the fields not far from the forest that wrapped around the village. the ones filled with dozens of small animals and flowers. oh, the idea sounded divine. he could practically feel it, the warm sunlight on his face, the grass under his feet, the wind blowing through his hair. 

the pleasant thoughts were snapped out of his mind as soon as he bumped into the back of a man he'd come to despise being around. the one, the only, dream. most would be in complete awe of the adventurer's mere presence, but tommy knew better. he'd seen the man's true intentions. he'd seen how he treated those around him. to the teenager, dream was nothing but a deceitful scumbag who had nothing better to do than feed his ego with the unnecessary praise of others.

said man looked down at tommy, smirking. "tommy! there you are! i've been looking everywhere for you, kid!" he bellowed, pulling him up rather harshly.

tommy groaned, picking his book up after dusting himself off. "have you now.. i'm flattered.." he hissed, "now if you don't mind, i'll be on my way." he tried to step to the side and around the man, but his companion stepped in the way. 

dream plucked the book out of tommy's hand, flipping through it with a bored expression. "how on earth could you bother to read this? it looks so boring. no pictures, no nothing!"

tommy snatched it from the brunette's hands and glared at him. he dusted the book off and shoved it into his basket. "it's called using my imagination."

"why do that when you could be adventuring with me instead? you could help me revise my brilliant plans! conquer kingdoms, find new land, have your name become well known! and you'll be right by my side! don't you want that? doesn't that sound so much better than wasting your life studying and- and picking flowers?" dream pushed. 

tommy cringed, "that sounds horrible. now tell your minion here to move so i can get back to tubbo."

dream sighed, motioning to george. "fine. but i'll be stopping by later. see if you change your mind," he grinned.

tommy rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath as he slipped away from the two. "i highly doubt it.." he made his way back down the path and opened the door to his brother's workshop, finding the brunette tucked away at his desk. the blond smiled and put his basket down. he walked over to his brother and handed him a tool he knew he'd be needing.

tubbo hummed gratefully and took the tool, adjusting a loose screw. he let out a soft sigh and closed up the small contraption. a music box, simple, but charming. he looked up at his brother and smiled. "welcome back. how was your trip to the village?"

tommy made a sour face, helping the brunette clean up his desk. he didn't bother answering. his silence was good enough for his brother anyways.

"that bad, huh? what happened this time?" tubbo hummed.

"the villagers wouldn't stop giving me weird looks. and i ran into dream. i swear, i can't escape the guy. he's a menace. he always asks me to be his little companion even though he already has that other guy with him. what's his name- george! he already has george with him and yet he still insists on bothering me of all people! it's so annoying!" he cried, slumping down onto one of the chairs in the spacious room.

tubbo frowned, listening to his brother. "that does sound pretty bad... but i promise things will get better. as soon as i bring back the prize money from the inventors convention tomorrow, we'll be out of this place and back in the heart of the kingdom where we belong. right on the street where we used to live. okay?"

"you say that every year, tubs.. are you sure things are gonna be different this year?" tommy murmured, looking up at his brother.

tubbo hesitated. he thought hard about his answer. his brother had a point. he did promise him the same thing every year, and every year he failed to fulfill said promise. but he had hope. he had to have hope. he promised his parents he'd give tommy a good life and that was a promise he planned to keep no matter what. "i have a feeling this year's gonna be different. just you wait, tommy. now help me get carl ready. it's almost time for me to leave."

tommy nodded, his mood brightening just slightly. he helped tubbo ready their shared horse. after he was saddled up and the cart was attached to the steed, tommy rested his chin on his brother's knee, looking up at him with a smile. "bring me back a rose, okay?"

tubbo raised a brow at his brother's request. "you ask for that every year, toms."

tommy hummed, patting the brunette's knee before stepping back. "and every year you bring it. good luck at the convention. i'll see you tomorrow, okay?!" he called, waving to his brother as he left. the blond smiled fondly, returning to their home. he thought about his brother's words. this year's gonna be different. "i suppose i will wait.. i'll just wait and see..." he chuckled.

a couple hours later, with tubbo

the sun had begun to set by the time he reached the turn. he glanced between his map and the two paths. he narrowed his eyes, now mildly confused. the map said there was only one path.. but in front of him there were two. perhaps he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere..? well, it was too late to turn back down. he flicked the reins, urging carl onto the right path. when the horse didn't move, he kicked his side gently, steering him down towards the darker of the two paths. "this is a short cut, don't worry." 

he ignored the horse's protests, continuing on. he took the time to question why this path wasn't on the path. surely whoever had made it had seen the path, right? it was pretty hard to miss.. tubbo didn't dwell on the thoughts for long. he didn't have time to. not when he suddenly found himself looking for the source of the low growl that rung out behind him and rattled him to his core. he whipped his head around. "who's there!" he called. no reply. he turned back around anxiously and snapped the reins, urging carl to turn around and go back. "we can handle being a bit late..."

the pair didn't get far. in front of them stood a single, ragged looking canine. it looked scrawny, and hungry. tubbo panicked and pulled on carl's reins, turning him back around before breaking him into a run. he sped down the rough path. there was no way he was giving in to a bunch of hungry dogs. not when tommy was waiting for him back at the village. he urged carl to run faster, spotting gates far ahead of him. the brunette gasped with relief. but much to his terror, the relief was short lived, replaced with a sickening feeling of dread. he snapped his gaze behind him to see three more of the canines, all of them heading to slam into his horse. he did the only thing he thought reasonable at the time and unhinged the cart. there was no need for it at the moment. it would only slow them down anyways. he'd come get it in the morning.

after reaching the gates, he leapt off his horse and slammed them shut, backing away. he watched the hungry wolves claw and growl at the metal. with a shuddered breath, he adjusted the flower crown on his head (tommy had made it for him a few days prior) and walked up to the castle with carl. he was more than surprised by the mere sight of it. how had he not known this was here earlier? why did no one mention anything about it? why was it not on the maps? how was it not on the maps?

tubbo let out a shuddery sigh and led carl to what he assumed was a stable. it had hay, and water, so what was the problem with it? "you're set for tonight, boy... i'll.. i'll head inside and thank our um.. unknowing host.."

he walked up the steps and knocked. receiving no answer, the man tried the door knob. much to his surprise and satisfaction, the door swung open with no more than a couple gentle creaks. he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, shivering slightly. he hadn't even noticed that it had been freezing until then.

"hello?" he called, looking around the entry room. he received no answer. he tried again. "is- is anyone home?" still no reply. he sighed and walked further in. "i uh- i got lost in the forest and it's um- it's getting pretty dark so i thought i'd just.. y'know.. stay here for the night, if that's alright with you," he chuckled nervously. 

tubbo glanced to his left and spotted a candleholder and a mantle clock. a bit odd to see them on a single table in the middle of the walkway, but he wasn't going to question the decorating habits of the castle's owner. he shuffled over to said table and lifted the clock carefully, looking closely at it. it seemed pretty- well, antique if you will. definitely not of the current time. the man examined it's gears curiously. "extraordinary.. i've never seen anything like this before..." he murmured. he put it down and looked over at the candelabra, picking it up. he ran his fingers across the delicately sculpted metal. eyes dragging over every intricate detail. "pure gold too.. absolutely gorgeous.." he wasn't wrong about the two objects. they were in fact quite lovely. 

after placing the candelabra back down, he turned, spotting what seemed to be a living area. with- a fire! he sped over to it and crouched down, holding his hands out to the flames. the brunette sighed in relief. fire had never felt so good..

tubbo continued to enjoy the fire's warmth for a while longer, sighing. he only paused when he heard something. or rather, someone. he stood back up and turned, walking out of the living area and into the hallway again. he could've sworn he'd heard voices coming from this way. "hello?" once again, he received no answer. he sighed. "alright then.. pretty lousy communication skills if you ask me.. can't even come down and greet me or anything.."

a low huff stopped the man in his tracks. he turned slowly, eyes widening. right in front of him stood one of, if not the most terrifying creature he had ever seen. it looked like some sort of pig, or perhaps a boar, but- more human. if that even made sense. in short, it looked like a beast. something straight out of a horror novel. something straight out of a child's nightmares. it looked terrifying. tubbo jumped back, trembling. "wh- what are you?!"

the beast growled, stepping towards the brunette. "first, you come into my castle. then, you help yourself to my living area. and now you insult me?!" it roared.

"wait! i'm- i'm sorry! i didn't know! i just wanted a place to stay for the night!" tubbo cried. he took a few more steps back, his back brushing against a pillar. 

the boar snarled at the pitiful excuse. "well, you came to the wrong castle," it spat. the creature hauled the man off his feet and practically dragged him up a flight of stone stairs. it threw him inside what he could only imagine was a cell, considering the door that was slammed mere seconds later was made of iron bars. he scrambled to the door, gripping two of the bars.

"please, have mercy! i can't stay here! i have to get home to my brother!!" tubbo begged. his pleas were futile, much to his dismay. he watched with tears in his eyes as the creature stalked back into the shadows, devilishly bright eyes never once leaving him until he was too far away. the man rested his head against the bars, fighting back tears. so this was how it ended, huh? this was how his life was gonna play out for the rest of eternity. he was doomed to stay inside a dusty cell, trapped inside this crumbling castle for the rest of his life without so much as a final goodbye to his little brother? that was just cruel...

back in lilycove with tommy

tommy had been reading quietly in the garden, peacefully resting against a tree. he had simply been enjoying the sunset when he heard it. a loud neigh followed by panicked hoof-steps. the teenager snapped his eyes up, jumping to his feet when carl galloped into view. he ran to meet him halfway to their home. "carl! how- wh- why are you back so early?! where's- where's tubbo?!" he cried. he noticed a few scratches on the animal's ankles, the dread and fear already setting in. he lifted himself onto the horse's saddle and snapped the reins. "take me to him. now!"

he rode into the same forest his brother had gone into, letting the horse lead him down the same path his brother had gone down. he spotted the cart and nearly broke down into tears right then and there, kicking carl's side. "run faster!" he shouted.

the horse soon ran up to the castle's stairs. tommy leapt off and ran up the steps, slamming the door open. he looked around, gasping for breath already. "tubbo?! tubbo, where are you?!" the boy called. no response. he shook his head and spotted the candelabra, snatching it before speed-walking further into the castle. his ears picked up the faint sound of.. crying? tubbo! the blond was quick to follow the noise, running up to his brother's cell. 

"tubbo! oh my god, tubbo! you're- you're not hurt, are you?! tell me you're okay! what happened? how did you get in that cell? who's keeping you here?! how do you i get you out?!" tommy questioned, gripping tubbo's hands tightly.

tubbo looked at his brother with wide eyes. "i- tommy, you can't be here! it's gonna throw you in here too! you need to leave. now!" he snapped.

"wh- no! tubbo, i'm not leaving you here! and what do you mean it?" tommy huffed, looking around for a key. he stopped when he heard.. hooves? no no no- carl couldn't have followed him all the way down here.. surely not.. so what was making that noise? he looked around behind him, spotting a shadow on the stairs on the opposite side of the hallway. the teenager sprung to his feet and glared. "who are you!"

the figure let out what tommy could only describe as a low growl. "i could be asking you the same thing," they snapped. "who are you?"

tommy scoffed, "that doesn't matter. i'm here to get my brother out!" he moved toward the figure, trying to see who it was. "now answer my question. who are you?" 

the boar stepped into the light, sneering at the sight of the once overly confident boy now cowering at the mere sight of him. "i'm the master of this castle. and your brother isn't going anywhere. he's a trespasser, and so are you."

tommy backed up so he was in sight of his brother. he thought long and hard about the situation at hand. "when will he be released?" he received no answer. must mean never.. "alright.. can- can i at least take his place?" he suggested. this earned him not one, but two looks of complete shock and one look of fear.

"no! i'm not letting you take my place!" tubbo gasped, tugging at tommy's arm. "i'll handle myself just fine here! you have to go back and live your life," he urged. there was no way he was letting his little brother throw away his life just for him. absolutely not. not while he still had a say in it. 

tommy sent a warning glare at him. "too bad. i wasn't asking y-"

"no."

"what?" tommy asked, looking up at the beast.

"i said no," the beast replied, glaring at the teenager before him. "he wrapped himself into this and he deserves to pay for it. it's his imprisonment to live out, not yours. now leave. and don't come back."

tommy stared at the beast. "so, i can't replace him, and now i can't even say goodbye to my own brother? how heartless are you? surely your cruel ways can spare a moment."

the beast hesitated, shoving tommy out of the way. he unlocked the cell and grunted, opening the door. "i'll leave it open for no more than a minute. once this door closes, it stays closed."

the blond nodded once, turning to his brother. almost immediately, the brunette dragged him into a tight hug, tears forming in his eyes. "go back to the village. live your life, okay? forget about me.." tubbo sniffled.

tommy smiled sadly, squeezing his brother. "no.. you live your life.. i'll find a way out eventually.." he whispered, shoving his brother out of the cell before slamming the door shut.

the beast sped to the door, eyes wide. "you took his place.."

"he's my brother.. of course i did.." tommy murmured. "now- let him go. i'll stay here in his place..." he watched as the beast nodded once. he watched as his brother was taken down the stairs. he watched as his brother was taken from him. and he cried. finally, after keeping up a confident act for the sake of his brother's frail emotions and his own pride, he let out the tears he'd been holding in. he pushed his back against the wall and hugged his knees to his chest, sobbing quietly. at least now, he was sure his brother would be safe back at home. at least now, he knew his brother would be okay, even if he wasn't by his side.. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA- FIRST CHAPTER WITH OVER 3700 WORDS POG? I THINK SO- anyways- i’m probably gonna have the second chapter out sometime this week because i’m feeling extra motivated! hope you liked this chapter! have a lovely day/night!!


	3. Chapter 2

it had been two hours. two hours since tommy lost his freedom. two hours since he was locked in the chamber. two hours since he lost his brother.

the boy felt like his world was crumbling into bits underneath him. how had everything gone so horribly wrong in the span of half a day? why had everything gone so wrong in that time? what had he done to deserve this? his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of.. keys? looking up, tommy caught a flicker of light from the door. he moved to hide in the shadows, frowning. surely the beast hadn't come back so soon?

the door swung open, followed by a gentle thud of something hitting the carpet outside. the light moved closer to the entrance, and a candelabra and mantle clock soon appeared within tommy's line of sight. had those been there the whole time? he didn't have time to think about it, nearly jumping out of his skin when the candle stand moved. on its own. he screeched, moving as close to the wall as he could.

the clock glared at him, quickly waving its.. hands? handles? around. "shhh! shhhhh! keep it down!" it hissed. "he might hear you!!"

tommy stared at it with wide eyes. "you- you talk!" he screeched. by now, it was painfully obvious to the candle holder and clock that taking the boy to a room was going to be more than just a little difficult.

the candelabra let out a hearty chuckle. "well, of course we do! how else would we communicate with the king and our guest?"

tommy hesitated, slowly uncurling himself. "did you say.. guest..? that beast has a guest? staying here willingly?!" he yelped. "seriously?!"

the clock was quick to hush the boy, glaring daggers at him. "how many times am i going to have to repeat myself? keep it down!"

the candelabra sighed. "yes, the king has a guest. you. now before you ask anymore questions, we'd best get you to your room. we can't have you sleeping in a cold cell every night, hm? follow me!" it proceeded to hop out of the chamber and up the stairwell, towards the east wing. as they went, the candelabra spewed a few quiet facts about the castle to the boy, helping him relax. they arrived fairly quickly. upon entry, the room sprung to life, feather dusters cleaning off any and all surfaces, and two brooms sweeping the floor. it took no more than a minute for the well decorated room to seemingly sparkle in the setting sunlight.

tommy looked around in awe. he did a full 360 around the room, taking in all the details. "wow... this room is.. gorgeous... are you sure i'm the one staying here?" he questioned, looking over his shoulder at the or, one now. "uh- where'd the candle-stick go..?"

the clock sighed. "phil got distracted by his 'beloved angel'.. don't ask. no one wishes to hear the story of how he met kristen again," they groaned, seemingly making a face of mild disgust.

tommy hesitated, nodding slowly. "alright the- wait, kristen? phil?"

"yes, kristen and phil. phil is the candelabrum that guided you here with me. kristen, a feather-duster, is his wife. and i am eret, the head of the house," the clock, eret it seemed, huffed out.

tommy nodded in understanding, a new question popping into his head. "how are you all talking if you're- y'know.. supposed to be inanimate?"

eret hesitated for a couple seconds. "doesn't matter. now hush up and get ready. dinner will be ready in half an hour," they hummed, turning to hop out of the room.

tommy stared at the door in shock. so.. that thing captured his brother, then agreed to keep him hostage, and now it expected him to join it for a meal? the blond scoffed incredulously, refusing to believe that that beast was that generous. a room was enough, wasn't it? why treat tommy like some temporary guest when he's actually your prisoner? it didn't make sense, and tommy hated it. he hated the fact that he couldn't understand everything. he hated the fact that the beast could potentially be mocking his lack of freedom. he hated the beast! in a fit of emotions, tommy grabbed the nearest object he could find and chucked it at the dresser in the corner of the room with an angry shout, small tears gathering in his bright blue eyes. "this- this isn't fair! why did all of this have to happen?! why now?!" tommy shouted, sinking to his knees. he let out a string of broken sobs, putting his face in his hands. "this isn't.. *hic* fair... it's not fair.." he breathed.

not even a minute after his sobbing had died down, tommy was jolted out of his thoughts by a series of crashing noises on his door. to him it sounded like overly aggressive knocking. he didn't even have time to analyze what it was before a booming voice rang out from the other side.

"i told you to come down for dinner!"

tommy felt his breathing accelerate, backing up so his back was pressed against the edge of the bed. "i'm not hungry!" he shouted back. "just leave me alone!"

a couple moments passed. tommy could hear hushed whispers outside his door, but anything that was said was practically unintelligible to the boy. after everything had gone silent, he heard three much quieter knocks on his door.

"would you just come down for dinner..?"

tommy glared daggers at the door, curling in on himself. there was no way he was going to go down for a meal with that thing. "no. leave me alone," he snapped.

another moment of silence, and a low growl. "fine then! starve to death for all i care!" the beast snarled. "if he doesn't eat with me, then he doesn't eat at all!" and with that, the silence returned.

tommy whimpered, burying his face in his knees and letting his tears fall once again. what on earth had he done to deserve this..? why was this even happening? he just wanted to go home... was that too much to ask..?

an hour later, and another knock was heard. tommy groaned. how many times would he have to tell that beast to just leave him alone?! "i said i'm not hungry! just go away!"

a small chuckle, and the door opened, revealing what tommy could only guess was a tea trolley. the teapot atop the upper platform of the trolley sent him a gentle smile, one that surprisingly gave tommy a sense of comfort in the midst of all the fear he'd been experiencing. "no need to worry, dear. it's just me. i'm wilbur, and this little teacup here is my friend niki. we heard about what you did with your brother. that was a really brave thing to do.. but i'm not here to talk about that. i'm here to bring you down for dinner! no technoblade this time. just you and the staff," wilbur hummed.

tommy hesitated, thinking over his options carefully. although his decision was quickly settled by the light growl in his stomach. he sighed and lifted himself up, dusting himself off and running a hand through his fluffy hair. "right then... lead the way, wilbur.." he murmured, following the tea trolley out the door and into the huge dining room. to him it seemed like almost everything was overly extravagant and much too large for a single person.. it gave him a sense of near loneliness and pity for the beast. no wonder he was so cranky. it was a huge castle and only he lived here? yeah, he couldn't exactly blame him as much anymore..

not even moments later, after tommy had sat down and gotten as comfortable as he could, a small array of foods were sent out from the kitchen. he thanked the staff for the meal and ate in silence, simply listening to the bustle of the kitchen behind him and the crackles of the fireplace at the other end of the lengthy room. after finishing up he let the staff clean up, deciding to walk around and explore for a bit.

phil and eret joined him a bit after he left. the two guided tommy's exploration, turning it into more of a tour of sorts. but one thing got the boy thinking. every time they passed a specific staircase, phil and eret refused to let him go up and explore. he grumbled, deciding to bring it up. "hey eret, phil? why can't i go up the stairs we keep passing?"

eret huffed, "those stairs lead to a um- storage unit... that's strictly forbidden for you. staff only. now if you don't have anything else to ask, it's off to bed with you. it's quite late as it is and the king hates hearing noise around the castle after midnight. off you go!"

tommy groaned, following eret and phil all the way down the hall they'd been walking through. he glanced to his right, spotting the stairs. there was no way a storage unit would have that grand of a staircase leading up to it.. it just didn't make sense. he glanced toward eret and phil. they weren't looking... so why not have a peek? see what was up there?

the blond waited until the candelabra and mantel clock disappeared from sight, nearly sprinting up the stairs eagerly. he entered a dark, drafty hallway and almost sneezed from the amount of dust floating around. he hugged himself slightly and walked down the hall towards what seemed to be the only door in the wing. the boy opened it slowly, looking around.

inside the room, it was much colder, gusts of wintry wind flowing in and out of the fairly large space through the open windows. cobwebs and thick layers of dust covered nearly every surface, leaving absolutely nothing untouched. he swatted some dust away with his hand and stepped further inside, looking around. the furniture was completely trashed, what seemed to once be wooden furniture littering the floor in heaps. the wallpaper was peeling and the wall décor was torn to shreds. but that wasn't what caught his eye at first. a single painting, a big one at that, was what caught his attention. he walked over to it and looked closely at what he could see of the torn canvas. from what he could see, it looked like a portrait of a young man with dusty brown hair and piercing amber eyes. the painting sent shivers down his spine. whoever was in that painting intimidated him. he looked like he held a lot of power, so much so that tommy wanted nothing more than to avoid whoever it was if he was to ever meet him.

just as he was about to leave, something else caught tommy's eye. a faint glow coming from the balcony. he stood up straight, forgetting all about the portrait. he wandered over to it and peeked out onto the platform, spotting the source of the glow.

in the middle of the balcony stood a single small table, and on top of that table stood a glass stand. inside the stand floated a gorgeous rose surrounded by a small pile of wilted petals. the sight surprised tommy. several questions floated around in his head. how was the flower floating? how was it in such great condition when the rest of the wing was basically trashed? how was it glowing? why was it glowing? was it magic? why was it up here?

he didn't get a chance to answer any of those questions, suddenly being pushed back by a clawed hand. he gasped out in surprise and looked up at who had pushed him away. the sight before him almost brought tears to his eyes.

"what are you doing up here?! this wing is forbidden! Do you know what you could've done?! You could've damned us all!!" the beast shouted, glaring daggers at the boy before him. "get out! now!!"

tommy refused to hear anything else from the beast, turning and sprinting out of the room and out of the wing. he jumped over eret and phil as he passed them, not even stopping to explain what had happened. he slipped out of the castle through the door and ran to carl, jumping on his back and flicking the reins. "go! run, carl! we're leaving!" he cried out.

the two exited the grounds as quickly as they could and sped through the forest, whipping right past the pack of wolves that resided in the vast territory. tommy glanced behind him while carl ran, groaning at the sight of canines. "oh come on!" he whined, turning back around and flicking the reins. "faster, carl!" the pair zipped through the trees as fast as carl could run, trying their best to avoid any interaction with the beasts. luck was clearly not on their side, because as soon as they started breaking the unchanging distance between them, the pack broke into two and surrounded them from the sides. 

and just then. right when they surrounded and cornered him. he decided to just.. give up. there was no chance he'd make it out alive. not at this rate. at least he'd said goodbye to his brother.. right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay- so this was really overdue- my apologies 🤠 mental health and friend group shit along with a new AU that i’m pretty attached to- just the usual :) enjoy cuz i probably won’t be uploading another chapter for a month or so


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